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Reprimand not enough: The case of tweaa DCE

“Start building that bridge of forgiveness even when the waters of disappointment and anger are still flowing underneath”. 

Steve Arteburn.

Leo Tolstoy has said “that there is no greatness where there is no simplicity”. That indeed, was the situation when the District Chief Executive for Ahafo- Ano-South in the Ashanti Region, Mr Gabriel Barima, burst and threw up expletives asking  at a public function at Mankranso recently, without knowing the particular person who had muttered TWEAA as to whether that person was his co-equal.

The part that lacked humility was when he said, “if you are a health worker so what, are you my co- equal?” meaning that he perceived whoever might have made the remark to be a health worker, because the ceremony was for hospital workers. 

But, what is it that makes a district chief executive assume that he is more important or far better than any other human being within the district?  Mr Barima had the guts to publicly express indignation against all health workers in the district just because one of them had said TWEAA.  

That was after the DCE had lifted himself above  all others including probably the traditional rulers who had graced the occasion by stating that no matter how loud anyone in the audience shouted or talked, no one would listen to them and that he was the only one who would be listened to or get the attention of the gathering.

That, the DCE ignored the pleas of the dignitaries and scorned the chiefs just because of the misconduct of somebody who could not be clearly identified and walked out before he was persuaded  to return, shows the level of arrogance of some of our DCEs, for whose interest some assembly members are sometimes withdrawn at the eleventh hour and replaced by pliable ones just to get them confirmed.

What the DCE did was similar to a decision of a judge in the United States who committed all those present in his court to contempt because a mobile phone rang and the owner could not be identified.

The judge was accused of abuse of discretion and subsequently removed from office. That is how to demonstrate to citizens that they are supreme and that leadership at all levels of state authority are there to serve and uphold  the will of the people and where they fail, they must  suffer the punishment of losing the privilege to serve.

That is why although the Ministry of Local Government must be commended for openly coming out to say that the conduct of the DCE was to be investigated, the reprimand is not enough.

He should have either been dismissed or suspended because under normal employment conditions, his conduct amounted to gross dereliction of duty. Not only was he arrogant but the boasting about his capacity to pay for his medical needs anywhere amounted to a denigration of the national health insurance scheme, which as the representative of the President, he must ensure that it serves the needs of the people effectively and efficiently. 

There is the need to remind our DCEs and others in political appointments that the reference to the President as the first gentleman of the land and such accolades do not make such persons more important than any other citizen.

These are meant to promote respect for the offices they hold and carry the corresponding obligation on the part of such persons to bring dignity to their offices, otherwise they lose public respect.

In any case, it could be far easier for any of those health workers that Mr  Barima described so contemptuously to become a DCE than he could become a health worker. That is why he should not be allowed to enjoy public office with his scornful statements, “if you are a health worker and so what” and “are you my co-equal”.

The issue of co-equal reminds me of my experience when I contested the district assembly election in 1993.  A number of the people in my electoral area confronted me as to why I was bringing myself so low as to contest the assembly polls when I could easily have contested as a member of Parliament.

I knew they had exaggerated their estimation of me and had little appreciation of the district assembly concept, especially if real and meaningful decentralisation is to work in our country.

I took my time to explain to them why people of the estimation they had about me had to be at the district assembly and asked whether if we had a doctor posted to the health post in our area, it would be helpful. When they answered in the affirmative, I told them that any such doctor would have been as educated, even if not more, as myself. That ended the argument and at the polls, I had their overwhelming endorsement to settle the matter.

If the district assemblies were to attract the calibre of human resources needed to give meaning to decentralisation and bring meaningful development to the people in a diffused manner, then DCEs should never consider themselves better than any other public official who works in the district.

Since the Ministry of Local Government has forgiven Mr Barima for his outbursts and bragging, there is nothing that the people of Ahafo-Ano-South can do.  But he must openly apologise to those he scorned and Ghanaians in general who felt offended by his conduct to defuse the low estimation that many have had about him to redeem any dignity that he has.  For as Margaret Lee Runsbeck has noted “apology is a lovely perfume. It can transform the clumsiest moment into a gracious gift”.

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